Wildlife trade matters. What is being done? the wildlife trade monitoring network

Transcription

1 the wildlife trade monitoring network Wildlife trade matters Trade in wild plants and animals is big business, worth billions of dollars and involving hundreds of millions of plants and animals every year. Over-exploitation of animals and plants for trade is the second biggest threat to wild species after habitat destruction. The trade is diverse from live animals and ornamental plants to a vast array of wildlife products from elephant ivory and Tiger skins, to mahogany, tuna and ginseng. People around the world depend on wildlife harvest and trade for food, medicine, shelter and to support their livelihoods. Much of this trade is legal and regulated, but a significant proportion is unmanaged, unreported and/or illegal. What is being done? TRAFFIC, the wildlife trade monitoring network, is working to ensure that trade in wild plants and animals is not a threat to the conservation of nature. Our vision? A world in which this trade is managed sustainably conserving biodiversity while continuing to make a significant contribution to human needs. TRAFFIC is a joint programme of WWF and IUCN The World Conservation Union.

2 What is TRAFFIC achieving? Three out of the seven species of marine turtles are now critically endangered. Illegal trade in caviar is pushing some sturgeon species towards extinction. Following a TRAFFIC finding of the extent of the trade, the universal caviar labelling system has been adopted in the European Union to assure consumers that the caviar they buy comes from sustainable sources. Training Customs officers to identify threatened species is key to combatting the illegal wildlife trade. Wildlife trade is a major factor in the decline of these species and countless others. Flagship species such as elephants, Tigers and marine turtles highlight the extent of global trade and conservation issues. TRAFFIC s groundbreaking work at national, regional and global levels on other flagship species includes Snow Leopard; European falcons; African and Asian Rhinoceroses; great apes; sturgeon; and Vicuna. A TRAFFIC-run database (Elephant Trade Information System, ETIS), recording seizures of elephant products around the world identifies where illegal ivory is being sold and its countries of origin. Thanks to our efforts, African countries have recently announced a continent-wide plan to regulate and, where necessary, close down their domestic ivory markets. Timber Illegal trade in timber not only leads to loss of foreign revenue for developing nations, it also destroys vast areas of valuable wildlife habitat, and devastates the livelihoods of local communities. TRAFFIC is at the forefront of action to make the timber trade more sustainable and was instrumental in bringing about new legislation to control the trade in threatened tree species such as ramin through CITES*. Medicinal plants and animals The lives of people all over the developing world depend on wild plants used to treat diseases. TRAFFIC is working to ensure that the use of threatened species such as agarwood is sustainable and is helping the World Health Organization to develop international guidelines and management systems for medicinal plant harvest and trade. TRAFFIC investigations also cover trade in animal products used in traditional medicines from musk deer and Saiga Antelope to critically endangered species such as Tigers and rhinoceroses. The Government of Tanzania is acting on information gathered by TRAFFIC experts to crack down hard on illegal export of hardwoods from coastal forests and miombo woodlands. One in four of all prescriptions dispensed by western pharmacists have ingredients derived from wild plants. WWF / KLEIN & HUBERT promoting sustainable consumption by encouraging consumers of wildlife commodities, at all levels of the trade, to make sure that such use does not threaten wild populations of plants and animals. The front lines in the struggle to address global wildlife trade threats are hotspots such as major border crossings, ports and airports, and busy wildlife markets. TRAFFIC has identified key locations where significant levels of illegal and unsustainable trade occur, such as on the eastern borders of the European Union (one of the world s biggest wildlife consumers), China s border crossings and wildlife markets, or the trade hubs of South-east Asia. In Africa, TRAFFIC is helping authorities to identify illegal wild meat and encourage legal sale from well-managed, sustainable sources. WWF-Canon / Sandra MBANEFO OBIAGO Up to African elephants are illegally killed each year to supply domestic ivory markets; Dagmar Lange collaborating with governments and the private sector to adopt economic policies and practices that ensure wild species are traded within sustainable levels; Vitaly Loyanich Fishermen sorting tuna after the catch. Sulawesi/Indonesia. In the last hundred years, Tiger numbers have declined by 95%; In some areas of the developing world wild animals may be the only available source of meat protein, particularly during times of economic hardship, conflict or famine. Wild meat is the sole source of income for a third of traders in some parts of Africa and South America. We are looking at ways to find a balance between the urgent need to conserve wildlife populations while addressing the needs of people who rely on this resource. Faced with catastrophic declines in fish stocks around the world, TRAFFIC is challenging Regional Fisheries Management Organisations around the world to live up to their mandate to ensure that commercial harvesting of fish on the high seas is sustainable. Regional fisheries management organisations are able to use TRAFFIC research and monitoring data to ensure that illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing does not endanger wild stocks of threatened species. We take action to reduce threats to biodiversity through focused action in wildlife trade hotspots. Wild meat Fisheries Australian Fisheries Management Authority assisting law-makers around the world to develop and implement policies and legislation that ensure trade in wild animals and plants is not a threat to biodiversity and its conservation; We intervene to address trade risks to selected threatened species that act as symbols or flagships for wider trade and conservation challenges. WWF-Canon / Jürgen FREUND undertaking in-depth research and using this knowledge to help decision-makers at all levels to understand the scope, dynamics and impacts of wildlife trade, so that they can apply appropriate management measures; Bonggi Ibarrondo / TRAFFIC TRAFFIC is the only wildlife trade organization with the expertise and ability to bring together global data on various issues to help regulate markets and inform governments and the public. We do this by: Stephanie Pendry / TRAFFIC TRAFFIC s work ranges from identifying trade threatening the Roti Island Snake-necked Turtle, found only on a small island in Indonesia, to making rapid assessments of trade impacts on the numerous species used in traditional medicines in Asia. How does TRAFFIC work? Yellowfin tuna We support trade and market measures that help improve the security of key natural resources such as fisheries, timber, wild meat, and plants and animals used in medicine resources that are crucial for the livelihoods of countless people. TRAFFIC East / Southern Africa We provide an early warning system to alert governments, traders and the wider public to emerging and/or poorly understood wildlife trade issues and trends. With encouragement from TRAFFIC, ten countries of South-east Asia have committed themselves to enforcing conservation measures in a region where birds and reptiles for the pet trade, luxury items made of ivory and Hawksbill Turtle shell as well as highly-valued medicines such as musk, Tiger bone and ginseng are all in high demand. *CITES is the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora

3 What is TRAFFIC achieving? Three out of the seven species of marine turtles are now critically endangered. Illegal trade in caviar is pushing some sturgeon species towards extinction. Following a TRAFFIC finding of the extent of the trade, the universal caviar labelling system has been adopted in the European Union to assure consumers that the caviar they buy comes from sustainable sources. Training Customs officers to identify threatened species is key to combatting the illegal wildlife trade. Wildlife trade is a major factor in the decline of these species and countless others. Flagship species such as elephants, Tigers and marine turtles highlight the extent of global trade and conservation issues. TRAFFIC s groundbreaking work at national, regional and global levels on other flagship species includes Snow Leopard; European falcons; African and Asian Rhinoceroses; great apes; sturgeon; and Vicuna. A TRAFFIC-run database (Elephant Trade Information System, ETIS), recording seizures of elephant products around the world identifies where illegal ivory is being sold and its countries of origin. Thanks to our efforts, African countries have recently announced a continent-wide plan to regulate and, where necessary, close down their domestic ivory markets. Timber Illegal trade in timber not only leads to loss of foreign revenue for developing nations, it also destroys vast areas of valuable wildlife habitat, and devastates the livelihoods of local communities. TRAFFIC is at the forefront of action to make the timber trade more sustainable and was instrumental in bringing about new legislation to control the trade in threatened tree species such as ramin through CITES*. Medicinal plants and animals The lives of people all over the developing world depend on wild plants used to treat diseases. TRAFFIC is working to ensure that the use of threatened species such as agarwood is sustainable and is helping the World Health Organization to develop international guidelines and management systems for medicinal plant harvest and trade. TRAFFIC investigations also cover trade in animal products used in traditional medicines from musk deer and Saiga Antelope to critically endangered species such as Tigers and rhinoceroses. The Government of Tanzania is acting on information gathered by TRAFFIC experts to crack down hard on illegal export of hardwoods from coastal forests and miombo woodlands. One in four of all prescriptions dispensed by western pharmacists have ingredients derived from wild plants. WWF / KLEIN & HUBERT promoting sustainable consumption by encouraging consumers of wildlife commodities, at all levels of the trade, to make sure that such use does not threaten wild populations of plants and animals. The front lines in the struggle to address global wildlife trade threats are hotspots such as major border crossings, ports and airports, and busy wildlife markets. TRAFFIC has identified key locations where significant levels of illegal and unsustainable trade occur, such as on the eastern borders of the European Union (one of the world s biggest wildlife consumers), China s border crossings and wildlife markets, or the trade hubs of South-east Asia. In Africa, TRAFFIC is helping authorities to identify illegal wild meat and encourage legal sale from well-managed, sustainable sources. WWF-Canon / Sandra MBANEFO OBIAGO Up to African elephants are illegally killed each year to supply domestic ivory markets; Dagmar Lange collaborating with governments and the private sector to adopt economic policies and practices that ensure wild species are traded within sustainable levels; Vitaly Loyanich Fishermen sorting tuna after the catch. Sulawesi/Indonesia. In the last hundred years, Tiger numbers have declined by 95%; In some areas of the developing world wild animals may be the only available source of meat protein, particularly during times of economic hardship, conflict or famine. Wild meat is the sole source of income for a third of traders in some parts of Africa and South America. We are looking at ways to find a balance between the urgent need to conserve wildlife populations while addressing the needs of people who rely on this resource. Faced with catastrophic declines in fish stocks around the world, TRAFFIC is challenging Regional Fisheries Management Organisations around the world to live up to their mandate to ensure that commercial harvesting of fish on the high seas is sustainable. Regional fisheries management organisations are able to use TRAFFIC research and monitoring data to ensure that illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing does not endanger wild stocks of threatened species. We take action to reduce threats to biodiversity through focused action in wildlife trade hotspots. Wild meat Fisheries Australian Fisheries Management Authority assisting law-makers around the world to develop and implement policies and legislation that ensure trade in wild animals and plants is not a threat to biodiversity and its conservation; We intervene to address trade risks to selected threatened species that act as symbols or flagships for wider trade and conservation challenges. WWF-Canon / Jürgen FREUND undertaking in-depth research and using this knowledge to help decision-makers at all levels to understand the scope, dynamics and impacts of wildlife trade, so that they can apply appropriate management measures; Bonggi Ibarrondo / TRAFFIC TRAFFIC is the only wildlife trade organization with the expertise and ability to bring together global data on various issues to help regulate markets and inform governments and the public. We do this by: Stephanie Pendry / TRAFFIC TRAFFIC s work ranges from identifying trade threatening the Roti Island Snake-necked Turtle, found only on a small island in Indonesia, to making rapid assessments of trade impacts on the numerous species used in traditional medicines in Asia. How does TRAFFIC work? Yellowfin tuna We support trade and market measures that help improve the security of key natural resources such as fisheries, timber, wild meat, and plants and animals used in medicine resources that are crucial for the livelihoods of countless people. TRAFFIC East / Southern Africa We provide an early warning system to alert governments, traders and the wider public to emerging and/or poorly understood wildlife trade issues and trends. With encouragement from TRAFFIC, ten countries of South-east Asia have committed themselves to enforcing conservation measures in a region where birds and reptiles for the pet trade, luxury items made of ivory and Hawksbill Turtle shell as well as highly-valued medicines such as musk, Tiger bone and ginseng are all in high demand. *CITES is the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora

4 What is TRAFFIC achieving? Three out of the seven species of marine turtles are now critically endangered. Illegal trade in caviar is pushing some sturgeon species towards extinction. Following a TRAFFIC finding of the extent of the trade, the universal caviar labelling system has been adopted in the European Union to assure consumers that the caviar they buy comes from sustainable sources. Training Customs officers to identify threatened species is key to combatting the illegal wildlife trade. Wildlife trade is a major factor in the decline of these species and countless others. Flagship species such as elephants, Tigers and marine turtles highlight the extent of global trade and conservation issues. TRAFFIC s groundbreaking work at national, regional and global levels on other flagship species includes Snow Leopard; European falcons; African and Asian Rhinoceroses; great apes; sturgeon; and Vicuna. A TRAFFIC-run database (Elephant Trade Information System, ETIS), recording seizures of elephant products around the world identifies where illegal ivory is being sold and its countries of origin. Thanks to our efforts, African countries have recently announced a continent-wide plan to regulate and, where necessary, close down their domestic ivory markets. Timber Illegal trade in timber not only leads to loss of foreign revenue for developing nations, it also destroys vast areas of valuable wildlife habitat, and devastates the livelihoods of local communities. TRAFFIC is at the forefront of action to make the timber trade more sustainable and was instrumental in bringing about new legislation to control the trade in threatened tree species such as ramin through CITES*. Medicinal plants and animals The lives of people all over the developing world depend on wild plants used to treat diseases. TRAFFIC is working to ensure that the use of threatened species such as agarwood is sustainable and is helping the World Health Organization to develop international guidelines and management systems for medicinal plant harvest and trade. TRAFFIC investigations also cover trade in animal products used in traditional medicines from musk deer and Saiga Antelope to critically endangered species such as Tigers and rhinoceroses. The Government of Tanzania is acting on information gathered by TRAFFIC experts to crack down hard on illegal export of hardwoods from coastal forests and miombo woodlands. One in four of all prescriptions dispensed by western pharmacists have ingredients derived from wild plants. WWF / KLEIN & HUBERT promoting sustainable consumption by encouraging consumers of wildlife commodities, at all levels of the trade, to make sure that such use does not threaten wild populations of plants and animals. The front lines in the struggle to address global wildlife trade threats are hotspots such as major border crossings, ports and airports, and busy wildlife markets. TRAFFIC has identified key locations where significant levels of illegal and unsustainable trade occur, such as on the eastern borders of the European Union (one of the world s biggest wildlife consumers), China s border crossings and wildlife markets, or the trade hubs of South-east Asia. In Africa, TRAFFIC is helping authorities to identify illegal wild meat and encourage legal sale from well-managed, sustainable sources. WWF-Canon / Sandra MBANEFO OBIAGO Up to African elephants are illegally killed each year to supply domestic ivory markets; Dagmar Lange collaborating with governments and the private sector to adopt economic policies and practices that ensure wild species are traded within sustainable levels; Vitaly Loyanich Fishermen sorting tuna after the catch. Sulawesi/Indonesia. In the last hundred years, Tiger numbers have declined by 95%; In some areas of the developing world wild animals may be the only available source of meat protein, particularly during times of economic hardship, conflict or famine. Wild meat is the sole source of income for a third of traders in some parts of Africa and South America. We are looking at ways to find a balance between the urgent need to conserve wildlife populations while addressing the needs of people who rely on this resource. Faced with catastrophic declines in fish stocks around the world, TRAFFIC is challenging Regional Fisheries Management Organisations around the world to live up to their mandate to ensure that commercial harvesting of fish on the high seas is sustainable. Regional fisheries management organisations are able to use TRAFFIC research and monitoring data to ensure that illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing does not endanger wild stocks of threatened species. We take action to reduce threats to biodiversity through focused action in wildlife trade hotspots. Wild meat Fisheries Australian Fisheries Management Authority assisting law-makers around the world to develop and implement policies and legislation that ensure trade in wild animals and plants is not a threat to biodiversity and its conservation; We intervene to address trade risks to selected threatened species that act as symbols or flagships for wider trade and conservation challenges. WWF-Canon / Jürgen FREUND undertaking in-depth research and using this knowledge to help decision-makers at all levels to understand the scope, dynamics and impacts of wildlife trade, so that they can apply appropriate management measures; Bonggi Ibarrondo / TRAFFIC TRAFFIC is the only wildlife trade organization with the expertise and ability to bring together global data on various issues to help regulate markets and inform governments and the public. We do this by: Stephanie Pendry / TRAFFIC TRAFFIC s work ranges from identifying trade threatening the Roti Island Snake-necked Turtle, found only on a small island in Indonesia, to making rapid assessments of trade impacts on the numerous species used in traditional medicines in Asia. How does TRAFFIC work? Yellowfin tuna We support trade and market measures that help improve the security of key natural resources such as fisheries, timber, wild meat, and plants and animals used in medicine resources that are crucial for the livelihoods of countless people. TRAFFIC East / Southern Africa We provide an early warning system to alert governments, traders and the wider public to emerging and/or poorly understood wildlife trade issues and trends. With encouragement from TRAFFIC, ten countries of South-east Asia have committed themselves to enforcing conservation measures in a region where birds and reptiles for the pet trade, luxury items made of ivory and Hawksbill Turtle shell as well as highly-valued medicines such as musk, Tiger bone and ginseng are all in high demand. *CITES is the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora

5 Find out more! How you can help Visit our website: hosts information about the TRAFFIC conservation programme, including original research and on-line publications, our newsletter TRAFFIC Dispatches, media releases, and news and views related to ongoing TRAFFIC network-wide conservation activities. Become informed! Contact us for further information when in any doubt about wildlife trade related issues. You will be joining a growing international network of people who want to learn more about wildlife trade issues. Before you go on holiday, visit How you can help section of our website for TRAFFIC s guide on what to watch out for when buying curios or wildlife souvenirs. Read our journal: The TRAFFIC Bulletin, launched in 1979, is the only international journal devoted exclusively to global wildlife trade issues and currently reaches some 4000 individuals in over 150 countries. The TRAFFIC Bulletin contains original reports and current news on trade in wild animals and plants and their derivatives. To subscribe to The TRAFFIC Bulletin, contact TRAFFIC International or download your personal copy from Sea shells and turtle products are still frequently found for sale in tourist destinations. Returning home with such items in your luggage may be illegal. Please donate! Over the past 30 years, TRAFFIC has gained a strong reputation as a reliable and impartial source of expertise and a leader in its field. Our global network is research-driven, action-oriented, and committed to delivering innovative and practical solutions to wildlife trade issues based on the latest information. We desperately need your help to support TRAFFIC s research, training and conservation work around the world! To donate online, visit or contact TRAFFIC International or your local TRAFFIC office.

6 How is TRAFFIC organized? TRAFFIC operates through a network of eight regional programmes co-ordinated by its international headquarters in Cambridge, UK. TRAFFIC is governed by a Committee whose members are appointed by WWF and IUCN. TRAFFIC Committee Chair: Dr Gerhard van den Top, WWF-Netherlands Members: Dr Chris Hails, WWF-International Ms Ginette Hemley, WWF-US Dr William Jackson, IUCN Dr Susan Lieberman, WWF-International Dr Jane Smart, IUCN Mr John Mbae, IUCN Dr John G. Robinson, Wildlife Conservation Society Executive Director TRAFFIC Mr Steven Broad Credit for front cover images, left to right: David Newton / TRAFFIC WWF-Canon / Martin Harvey is a joint programme of TRAFFIC network TRAFFIC International 219a Huntingdon Rd, Cambridge, CB3 ODL, UK Tel: (44) Fax: (44) traffic@trafficint.org UK Charity Registration No: TRAFFIC East Asia Room 2001, Double Building, 22 Stanley Street, Central, Hong Kong Tel: (852) Fax: (852) trafficea@biznetvigator.com TRAFFIC East Asia Room 2001, Double Building, 22 Stanley Street, Central, Hong Kong Tel: (852) Fax: (852) trafficea@biznetvigator.com China c/o WWF China Programme Office, Room 1609, Wen Hua Gong, Beijing Working People s Culture Palace, (Laodong Renmin Wenhuagong Dongmen), Beijing , People s Republic of China Tel: (ext. 3260) Fax: teachina@wwfchina.org Japan 6th Fl. Nihonseimei Akabanebashi Bldg., , Shiba, Minato-ku, Tokyo, Japan Tel: (81) Fax: (81) trafficj@twics.com Website: Taipei PO Box 7-476, Taipei, Taiwan Tel: (886) Fax: (886) treatai@ms1.hinet.net Website: TRAFFIC East/Southern Africa c/o WWF Southern Africa Regional Programme Office, PO Box CY 1409, Causeway, Harare, Zimbabwe Tel: (263) / Fax: (263) traffic@wwfsarpo.org South Africa c/o Endangered Wildlife Trust, Private Bag x11, Parkview 2122, Johannesburg, South Africa Tel: (27) Fax: (27) trafficza@uskonet.com Tanzania PO Box , Dar es Salaam, Tanzania Tel: (255-22) / / Fax: (255-22) traffictz@bol.co.tz TRAFFIC Europe Bd. Emile Jacqmain 90, B-1000 Brussels, Belgium Tel: (32) Fax: (32) traffic@traffic-europe.com Central Eastern Project Office c/o WWF-Hungary, Németvölgyi út 78/b, 1124 Budapest, Hungary Tel: (36) (ext. 132) Fax: (36) dorottya.papp@wwf.hu France c/o WWF France, 1, Carrefour de Longchamp, F Paris, France Tel: (33) Fax: (33) sringuet@wwfnet.org Germany c/o Umweltstiftung WWF Germany, Rebstöcker Str. 55, Frankfurt a.m., Germany Tel: (49) Fax: (49) melisch@wwf.de Italy c/o WWF Italia, Via Po, 25/c, Rome, Italy Tel: (39) Fax: (39) traffic.italy@wwf.it Russia c/o WWF Russia Programme Office, Nikoloyamskaya str.19, building 3, Moscow, Russia Tel: (007) Fax: (007) ashestakov@wwf.ru Website: Sweden c/o WWF-Sweden, Ulriksdals Slott, S Solna, Sweden Tel: (46) Fax: (46) Tel: (46) Fax: (46) mats.forslund@wwf.se TRAFFIC North America th Street, NW, Washington DC 20037, USA Tel: (1) Fax: (1) tna@wwfus.org Canada Suite 512B, 409 Granville Street, Vancouver, BC,V6C 1T2, Canada Tel: (1) Fax: (1) traffic@wwfcanada.org Mexico c/o WWF Mexico Programme Office, Ave. Mexico No. 51, Col. Hipodromo Condesa, Mexico, D.F., Mexico Tel: (525) /34 Fax: (525) areuter@wwfmex.org TRAFFIC Oceania GPO Box 528, Sydney NSW 2001, Australia Tel: (61) Fax: (61) traffic@traffico.org TRAFFIC South America Av. De los Shyris 2680 y Gaspar de Villaroel, Edificio MITA COBADELSA, Penthouse (PH), Quito, Ecuador Tel: (ext. 400) Fax: (ext. 230) tsam@traffic.sur.iucn.org TRAFFIC South Asia c/o IUCN Sri Lanka Country office 53, Horton Place, Colombo 7, Sri Lanka Tel. (94) Fax: (94) TRAFFIC Southeast Asia Unit 9-3A, 3rd Floor, Jalan SS23/11, Taman SEA, Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia Tel: (603) Fax: (603) tsea@po.jaring.my Indochina c/o IUCN Viet Nam, 44/4 Van Bao Street, Ba Dinh District,Hanoi, Viet Nam Tel: (84) Fax: (84) (c/o IUCN) trafficindochina@yahoo.co.uk Website: